Update - 30/02/12

After looking at the shots we filmed the first time we did our filming we discussed how the shots we had filmed were of a bad quality due to the use of lighting. We also came to a conclusion that the actor we first got to feature in our teaser trailer did not really fit the profile of the character we as a group had in mind.

Masked productions has now decided to get a different actor and reschedule a day to reshoot the shots we had first filmed.

Filming Update

                                        First Filming Process - 28/01/2012

As we needed to get a location that had a bedroom setup we decided to do our first filming process place at My (Ashley's) house in Abbey Wood, London. Using our shooting script we listed the shots we had planned to film during the day.

Masked productions got together, set up all equiptment that was needed for the day then got the makeup artist to prepare our actor.

After all this was done we were ready to start shooting our scheduled scenes. We spent around 5 hours filming the shots we needed in this location.

These are some backstage pictures that we took during the filming:

These are some of the shots we filmed on the day:

 

Some of the difficulties we faced during the day included:

• Setting up the equiptment we needed to film quickly
• Putting on makeup that looked effective for effects on our victim
• Being able to get the right lighting as we only had 1 LED light.

Character Profile

Character Profiles

This post shows the people we have chosen to feature in our teaser trailer. As we thought that a teaser trailer did not need alot of characters as its just to tease the audience, we decided to only use 2 charcters for ours.


ANTAGONIST

                                        We have decided to use Farhan as our our victim. This is because we felt as if he has the right image to suit our character. We also chose him because we wanted a a male actor who has interestig hair as this associates well with our teaser trailer storyline.











VICTIM
                       We have decided to use Ashley as the victim. This is mainly because after many attempts of trying to find a caucasian  or asian actor but not being able to get hold of one we felt as though she had the right innocent look that we wanted our victim to have.

Update - 28/01/2012

Masked productions has now started filming for their upcoming teaser trailer. We will be keeping you updated as to how far we are with this process.

Skills Development: Research & Production

 In the summer holidays before I started my media I had carried out some research on Horror movie conventions and different genres in Horror movies. My researching skills definitely improved, Research wasn't just about asking people questions or on paper but it was through different technological sources such as Blackberry messenger and facebook this also allowed me to store my research easily. The type of questions i was asking were outside the box type of questions because it stretched out peoples minds by making them think deeply about what made a difference to their filming.

My planning is at a better level now since I've had to organise

This year I've been learning a lot on the camera's especially how to put it on the tripod properly. This just allowed me to get to grips with filming steadily, because of the movements. I have also learned how to improve the quality of my video's zooming in and my focusing have been better because I've learnt how to co-ordinate them now to make it look more professional. Whilst filming as well I've between using different techniques meaning filming from more angles than last year because now I can see the difference it makes.

The rule of thirds is a skill I have applied to filming and now it has become normal. The rule of thirds is when you break the screen down into thirds so that you have nine parts. This is done normally so that audiences normally focus on certain parts of the screen. So when filming I have to decide what side I want my main object on or sometimes I can manipulate it to make the film more interesting. I do this by sometimes focusing  my main subjects in random areas of the screen and putting my second main subject where everyone would be focusing on.

Practice Shot 13

Practice Shot 12 - Nadine

In this shot we wanted a view of our protagonist wasking up abruptly with the camera catching this view from behind. Our practice shot revealed to us that it can be quite hard to follow the subject moving abruptly, so it was important to make sure the tri-pod was positioned in a good place to ensure smooth motion to follow the subject without cutting out the top half.

Practice Shot 11 - Nadine

 

As a group we found the point of view shot worked very well, and fitted in with the creepy horror feel. The slow motion of the hand created a very sinister feel and complimented the low key lighting very well. However the lighting in our practice shot was not entirely lit well despite our desire for low key lighting as the picture did not come out as clearly as liked. From this we have learnt that despite wanting low key lighting we must ensure that the set does have efficient lighting.

A brief well lighted version of this shot so that we could have a clear view of what the image would look like.

Practice Shot 10

Practice Shot 9

Practice Shot 8 - Ashley

This is the first practise shot 8 we did of our victim struggling in her sleep. As a group we talked about the type of lighting we should use in order to improve the quality of lighting as the one we used in this shot was bad. 

We also noticed that this shot was out of focus, therefore we noted down that we should improve the focus of this shot next time we practise it. 

Practice Shot 7

Practice Shot 6 - Ashley

For this shot we are having various amount of running scenes. This we have found to be very hard so instead of getting the shot accurate at first we just tried to work out the anglings and workings of the  shot.

These are the shots we filmed when we did our practise shots the second time.  

We found it very easy when filming this time around because we found that the location that we filmed at was big enough therefore allowed us to have space to film any type of shots.

This high angle shot shows the victim running.  

We also filmed a low angle shot of our victim running. This was helpful as it helped us figure out the good camera positions that would produce effective shots. As we did not use a Tripod to film this shot, we discussed that we should use one in order to improve the quality of the shot.

Practice Shot 5

Practice Shot 4 - Ashley

This is the practise shot that shows our victim's eye. We need to improve this shot by making it an extreme close up of the eye as we had difficulties getting this type of shot due to the type of camera that we used. 

Practice Shot 3 -Nadine

These shots are for the bedroom scene, when we filmed we discovered we needed more lighting. Our teacher informed us it was better to have to much lighting than less as we can easily dimmer the lighting in editing. Our videos are also not very clear which we need to work on in filming and our focusing.

Here we have used more lighting but still need to improve our focusing and keeping the video clear we will ensure to do another practice of all shots to keep them clear.

These last two shots are much clearer and we realised how to adjust our lighting correctly. Filming this shot has enabled us to produce a birds eye view shot and practice how to frame the shot correctly. However the actress sometimes moves out of shot so it is important that we pan the camera with the actress movements or ensure the director gives instructions to keep movements minimal.

Practice Shot 2- Nadine

We found shooting the over the shoulder shot worked very well, but would perhaps like the camera to focus more on the female actor to produce a blurred effect for our killer. We also learnt that movement can be quite tricky within an over the shoulder shot, as seen above when our actor goes to put on his hood our other actress comes out of view. We would need to postio our actors to ensure the movement works clearly. 

Practice Shot 1 - Nadine

The next couple of blog posts will be our practise shots for the filming of our trailer. This is so that when we have our filming day we will have a clear structure of how our shots will be.

In this shot we practised how to track, our shot was quite clear however we tracked the moving object a bit late so we have to ensure that the tracking of the camera and object is consistent with one another.

Poster & Magazine Designs

Before the creation of our poster and magazine cover, as taught from AS , we knew it was best to design how we would like our poster and magazine before creating our product. Also as we are working as a group collectively it is best that everyone's idea and input are heard so designing beforehand is best.

Lekan's Designs

Nadine's Designs

Poster designs                                                       

Magazine design

Ashley's Designs

Magazine design

Skills Development: Research

From AS my research skills have developed enormously as detailed in the video above. I have developed more individually with the independent work I must now set myself. As in AS we developed our blogs with research we were told to put on and given ideas. This contrasts now, as it is up to myself, especially as the producer, to think of my own ideas of thorough research to include on the blog and determine what research is relevant to our teaser trailer, such as conventions, ideal audience, and the genre of horror we are working on.

My skills have moved on from knowing the conventions of a basic music magazine  to being aware of the conventions of a teaser trailer and one of the genre of horror. Research found in my own time over the summer which entailed me to be detailed as within film there are many different types of genres and their teaser trailers are all presented differently and entail different key parts. For example usually action teasers have to be very fast paced with alot of quick cut editing, whereas our horror can vary due to the many types of horrors there are.

My developed researching skills have also helped me make links in terms of synopticity as I am able to obtain knowledge from my regulation lessons. Going to a BBFC workshop at college with a women who works at the BBFC was developed research for me, as from this I learnt about the classification of film and what would be deemed as to far and inappropriate for certain age classifications. This links well with the our genre of horror, which is a slasher, as slashers can sometimes contain elements that can border what is deemed acceptable by the BBFC as realistically our film would be regulated by the BBFC. 

Update 4/1/2012

Masked Productions are back from our Christmas break and we have discussed what is in the future for the new coming year. Before our break we wanted the 7th of January to be our filming date, however as a team we felt we would not be ready and still would like to go over some more practise shots. We have discussed later dates but no decision has been final due to schedule conflicts within the group. A decision was definitely decided that filming should be done before February break to ensure we remain on task.

BBFC Research

                                                      Research Into The BBFC


The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is a non-governmental organisation that is funded by the film industry. It is a reactive regulator that is responsible for the national classification of films within the UK. It has statutory requirements to classify DVDs, some video games and videos. They also rate theatrically-released films and rated videos and video games that have forfeited exemption from the Video Recordings Act 1984.

They give video games with specific content or themes, for instance the grant theft auto series a legally-binding rating just as videos receive. They also need to make such the rating certificate they give is displayed on the packaging and media labels of the video recordings. Along with the certificate that videos and games receive, they also get consumer advice that details the reference to sex, violence and coarse language.

The BBFC are also give advise on cutting ratings for a less-restrictive rating.

Below are the BBFC Categories:

Universal (suitable for all


Films given a U should be suitable for audiences that are ages 4years and over.

These certificates are given to films that are suitable for those aged 12 and over.

12A category only exist for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see these films unless accompanied by an adult.

The 12 category exists only for video works. No one below the age of 12 is able to buy or rent a film rated '12'.

These are films that are suitable for those that are 15years and over.









This certificate is given for films that are not suitable for those that are below the age of 18. No one below this age is also able to rent or buy films given this classification

Films given this classification are only to be shown in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults over the age of 18.

This category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults.

BBFC - Our Film Classification

Within our course we have been learning about the BBFC and their roles within the classification of films.

As a group we felt a 15 certificate would be best as our film.As referring to the BBFC guidlines, our trailer contains very strong languag, strong bloody violence, scenes of torture, and moderate sex references. Also a certificate 15 enables our film to be shown to our target audience 16-18 year olds as an 18 certificate we felt was to limiting compared to a 15 certificate which was broader.

Audience Profile

For our trailer we need an ideal audience someone who fits the match of our ideal person who will watch our teaser trailer and we have come up with some idea's on who we are going to try to appeal to when creating our teaser trailer.

Name: Andre Taylor

Occupation: Student (Christ The King Sixth Form College)

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Ethnicity: Black Brittish

Phone: Blackberry (Type: Curve)

Footwear: Traniers (Adidas)

Clothing: UCLA Hoody Jumper Grey

         

              Wooly Hat

              Carrot Chinos



Textual Analysis of a Horror Film Teaser Trailer

Final Destination 5 Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE60KctSeog

Final destination 5 is a horror thriller which was released on the 26^th of August 2011 directed by Steven Quale and written by Eric Heisserer and Jeffrey Reddick. It stars actors such as Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell and Arlen Escarpeta. The Synopsis of the film is about the survivors of a suspension-bridge which collapses and they learn there’s no way you can cheat death.

This teaser trailer is 129 seconds long and opens with diagetic sound in which the characters are speaking also it opens with a high angle shot in which the camera is scanning a terrified looking woman from bottom to top in which this woman is also shaking in the process a transition follows this to bring the next two shots together.  By the opening shot consisting of a terrified woman who is shaking this straight away represents the platform in which this film is going to take an unpleasant one and also tells the audience that this is going to be a frightening film. At this point there are quite a few slow cuts and in addition the music is very slow paced and mysterious which portrays something bad could happen at any point.

 

A convention this horror teaser trailer follows  is the point in which they talk to the audience. Inbetween shots the producers started to send a message to the audience which was “THIS SUMMER WE ALL SHARE A COMMON DESTINATION”. What was key about this was the shots inbetween the messages. The shots consisted of the horrible death of the patient who was trying to get laser eye surgery, the makers of this horror teaser trailer definitely wanted to get a message across that this film is going to be gory, gruesome and unpleasant to many viewers watching.

As we move forward in the trailer we witness this low angle shot showing the surgeon with a dangerous sharp looking object with the patient just in the shot which looks to be potentially dangerous this could again represent that this film is going to consist of great danger and unease at any point in the film.

As we move forward a bit more the trailer consists of faster cuts and more hidden messages such as these you can see below. In these 3 shots the colour red is used a lot firstly the shot of the warning sign. As we know many warning signs represents a sense of danger and as this trailer is consisting of it this is telling the audience that this film is going to experience a lot of danger also as it is surrounded by the colour red it could represent blood and blood could mean a lot of things such as death. In the other shot the red text flashes which could represent a threat is present also shows that the situation is a risky one. Lastly the shot of the bright red laser which is going to be the death of the patient definitely told the audience that this film is going to make them be at the edge of the seat at all times as the first half of this trailer shows that the unexpected should be expected.

 

 

Continuing in this trailer the music gets faster and faster and experiences faster cuts portraying the threat of something could happen and at this point diagetic sound is present as the victim who is shown in a close up shot is screaming out loud “help me, help me”. The fact that the women is screaming this out loud with intent this means she’s in grave danger and near to death.

As the trailer reaches the middle stages there is an establishing shot of the bridge which could reveal to the audience that this  location is going to be really important and vital to the film and what happens on the bridge could hold key information. From 1.00 to 1.09 this bit of the trailer consist on the most important part of what’s going to happen in the film and has a very fast tempo to it, containing fast cuts and a variety of shots such as high angle, but not at any bit revealed how a character was killed. This is a typical convention of a horror teaser trailer which is not revealing much to the audience leaving them and letting them wonder what’s going to happen next.

As we reach the closing stages of the trailer the music has more of a feel to it and more beats come into play with dramatic sounds. In the trailer we come across a close up shot of one of the characters as you can see the characters face is one of anxiety and the look of terror in her face. This could be a seen as a hidden message by the producers telling the audience if you watch this film there may be a sense of terror when watching it and a sense of fright in you.